Google’s Nearby Share Might Rival Airdrop Soon

A new 'self share' mode that streamlines the process is in the works

By
Rob Rich
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Rob Rich
News Reporter
  • College for Creative Studies
Rob is a freelance tech reporter with experience writing for a variety of outlets, including IGN, Unwinnable, 148Apps, Gamezebo, Pocket Gamer, Fanbolt, Zam, and more.
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Published on April 19, 2022 11:52AM EDT
Fact checked by
Jerri Ledford
Jerri Ledford
Fact checked by Jerri Ledford
  • Western Kentucky University
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Jerri L. Ledford has been writing, editing, and fact-checking tech stories since 1994. Her work has appeared in Computerworld, PC Magazine, Information Today, and many others.
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Google's Nearby Share seems to be testing out a new 'self share' option that eliminates the need for approval, making file transfers between Android devices more streamlined than before.

Mishaal Rahman, Technical Editor for Android cloud platform Esper, noticed a change in Nearby Share that could make the feature a proper AirDrop competitor. The new option, called 'self share,' has appeared in the newest version of Google Play Services but doesn't seem to have officially rolled out to everyone yet.

Group of teenage girls checking their phones on a sofa

NickyLloyd / Getty Images

Nearby Share is functionally similar to AirDrop in that it lets you share files between nearby devices, but you always need to approve the transfer, which slows the process down. According to Rahman, self share looks to do away with the approval step—so long as both devices are signed into the same Google account.

Currently, the option is tucked under Nearby Share's Device Visibility option in the latest Google Play Services build. When selecting Your Devices, it states that "Only devices that are signed into [your Google account email] can share with this device. You won't need to approve sharing from your devices."

Man holding two phones

Yaman Kumar / Getty Images

Thus far, Google hasn't commented on Nearby Share's self share option, so we can't be sure when (or even if, really) it will see a wider release.

Though as Android Police points out, the inclusion of the new option in Google Play Services could also mean that self share will be rolling out soon. We'll just have to wait and see.

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